the stentorian I ncssm
news/features
September 2015 5
Student Government explained
By Vibha Puri
Staff Writer
Just like everything
at NCSSM, the Student
Government Association can
be unnecessarily complicated.
Up until halfway through last
year, 1 myself wasn’t sure what
the organization of it was or
who exactly was part of it.
So I’m here to break it down
for you. There are three main
bodies: the Executive Council,
the Senate, and the Executive
Board. The Executive Council
consists of the Student Body
President, Senate President,
and Treasurer.
They work closely with both
the Senate and the Executive
Board (and this counts as their
workservice). The Senate
consists of Senior Senators,
Junior Senators, Dorm
Senators—all elected by the
student body— and Senators-
at-Large (applications coming
out soon).
These members propose
and vote on all legislation and
serve on committees meeting
multiple times a week. Lastly
there is the Executive Board,
appointed by the Student Body
President. This board consists
of the following positions:
Director of Information
Technology, Director of Public
Relations, Director of State
Relations, Elections Board
Chairperson, Parliamentarian,
and PFM Liaison.
They meet with the
Executive Council once
a week, carrying out their
respeetive jobs and/or working
on projects for committees.
Student Government is also
a part of the UNC Student
Government Association
(ASG), giving a unique
opportunity to work with
college student governments.
There are five committees,
led by Senior Senators, that
Junior and Dorm Senators can
serve on. These committees
include Outreach, led by
Vibha Puri, Student Affairs
led by Andy Hoang, Academic
Affairs led by Max Schlenker,
Programming led by Jessica
Yao, and Governmental Affairs
led by William Oles. Frank
Kenny is the sixth Senior
Senator, serving as Secretary
and as part of Governmental
Affairs.
The Outreach Committee
works with improving
communication between
student government and the
student body. Student Affairs
works with—well—student
affairs, trying to make living
here easier (Where’s my Wi
Fi, Andy?).
Academic Affairs works
mainly with faculty to help
with everything school related.
including grades, AP exams,
and more. Programming
organizes fun events including
lock-ins and block parties, and
Governmental Affairs works to
keep Student Government in
check.
So far, the Senate has
passed the Club Charter
Act, chartering 68 clubs.
The Senate also passed the
Minimum Achievement Plan
(MAP) Act, which outlines
each committee’s goals for the
year.
The Budget Act has also
been passed, allocating
money to different events
and initiatives for the 35th
session. Additionally, this past
month Senate President Adam
Schmidt was elected to serve
as the Sergeant-at-Arms for
the entire UNC Association of
Student Governments.
So how can you get in touch
with Student Goverment? One
option is the Facebook page—
“NCSSM Student Government
Association’’—with which
share updates about bills,
post pictures of students from
events, and host impromptu
contests for those who like
the page (Congratulations to
Katherine Li for winning the
most recent one and getting a
Student Government t-shirt).
Another way is coming
to the Senate meetings
themselves, as they are open to
the public for comments from
the student body; these are
usually at 7:15pm on Sundays.
Student Goverment also
hosts monthly Let’s Talk
booths outside the PFM during
lunch where you can voice
your complaints or praise, ask
questions, or just chat.
Lastly, please friend us on
our brand new Snapchat at
ncssmsg. Currently we have 0
friends.
NASA makes advances towards
Mars mission
By Jordan Greenert
Sports Editor
We’ve all heard about Mars
as a hot topic within the past
couple of years. There have •
been books written about
it, films made, and endless
conversations. But what we
may not have seen are the
steps that have been to taken to
maybe move this dream from
the big screen to real life.
What is this dream? A trip
that could change the way we
think of our life here on Earth:
a mission to Mars. Although
we might not be ready to pack
up and move tomorrow, here
are some inventions that give
light to the idea that a trip to
Mars may not be too far into
the future.
The first part of a mission to
the red planet? Getting there.
NASA has recently made a
new advancement towards
doing just that, with the NASA
Evolutionary Xenon Thruster
(NEXT), the fastest, most fuel-
efficient propulsion engine
that humanity has ever created.
The thruster is able to propel a
spacecraft at a speed of90,000
mph, and on top of that, it is
lightweight and capable of
running non-stop for five and
a half years.
Another new development
in work would affect the
potential for damage to the
spacecraft. NASA has funded
research that has led to the
design of a new material that
has been likened to that of the
Terminator. By combining two
polymers with a reactive liquid
called thiol-ene-trialkylborane,
they have created a substance
that solidifies into a putty-type
material when exposed to air.
This could be used for repairs
on the ship as well as to protect
astronauts and the craft from
hurtling debris out in space.
This has also been found
to have practicaT applications
here at home, making useful
objects from bullet-proof
armor to exhaust pipes.
Even with all these
technical advancements, what
about sustaining human life?
Good question - science has
considered that too. NASA has
now successfully grown lettuce
in zero gravity conditions.
Using tightly packed pouches
of soil and seeds, along with
a special fertilizer, astronauts
aboard the International
Space Station have grown 33
heads of romaine lettuce over
a period of 33 days. This is a
good sign for the potential of
growing food in space, as there
is only so much space for food
on a spacecraft, and ways of
sustaining human life for such
a long trip need to continue to
be advanced.
Another agricultural
development that changes the
way we think of space travel
is a nifty invention called
AstroGro. It was presented this
year at the International Space
Apps Challenge, and can be
used for growing plants both
in and outside of a spaceship.
It works with multiple sensors
that monitor plant growth
and optimize it by mimicking
Earth’s environment within
the pot by recycling water,
refreshing air, and adjusting
to gravitational differences.
This creates the possibility
that fresh, organic food could
be grown in space, using less
water than plant growth on
Earth.
Even if we’re not leaving
within the next two, ten, or
fifty years, these inventions are
giving hope to the idea that one
day we might be able to visit
our planetary neighbors. All of
these developments put us one
step closer to making another
giant leap for mankind.
NASA technicians work on a prototype of the NEXT propulsion engine.
the signs as NCSSM faculty
aries: Dan Teague
taurus: Michael Bruno
genini: John Kirk
cancer: David Cantrell
leo: Sam Wheeler
Virgo: Sarah Shoemaker
libra: Kyle Hudson
Scorpio: Amy Sheck
Sagittarius: Martha Regalis
capricorn: Sam Boyarsky
aquarius: Zodiac Webster
pisces: the registrar